In Time Of The Cherry Blossoms
by cocoabear
Summary: The tight bond of friendship is what brought them together, but race brought them apart. Will their love conqueror over the stereotypical demeanor or will their friendship be sacrificed?


-In Time Of The Cherry Blossoms

(A/N Please review I would really appreciate your feedback. Thanks a lot and I hope you enjoy it. ) I'll continue it based on the amounts of reviews.)

She sighed as she brushed her bangs out her eyes. She folded the flaps of the box and tapped it shut. She then stood up and adjusted her overalls to their rightful position. Strands of hair came out of place as she had worked all morning packing for her big day. The day she had dreaded ever since her father had told her. He wanted her to go to a boarding school in the U.S.

"_You are way too intelligent to be wasting her time in this town…this country. I want you to have all the opportunities you could ever dream of." _

The only thing he forgot was that she was just fourteen and she had goals for herself too. Boarding school in the states just seem so juvenile. It was like she was being punished for being smart.

She was then startled by a thud against her window. She turned and walked over to the window where she found her best friend on her balcony.

"Trunks, what are you doing here? I thought you were hanging with the guys today?" Pan asked remembering his current agenda he had shared a few hours ago with her.

He stuck his hands in his baggy jeans and shrugged. A rebel type of move he always did when he was too shy to explain his actions. "Well, my best friend is moving in two days. And if I know her well, I know she hasn't gotten half of it done yet." He smirked as his blue eyes lighted up with humor.

"I will have you know, I've done more than half." I crossed my arms and gave him the most evilest glare ever. He shifted his position from one foot to the other and leaned to see through the window. He laughed as he saw clothes flaunted everywhere and boxes were stacked all over the floors. He sometimes wondered where she slept with all that junk remaining on her bed. Heck, he didn't even know if she had carpet in her room.

He laughed. She punched him on the arm. She couldn't help, but laugh along. He knew her all too well. It was scary. They've been best friends since they were children. Nothing has ever separated them apart, until this very moment. She stared at him as reality kicked in. She wasn't going to see him everyday, talk to him everyday, laugh with him everyday. Her eyes started blurring and she just looked away and smiled vaguely. She tried to stop the tears, but lately they have been disobeying. One seem to have a mind of its own as it trickled down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away so it wasn't noticeable, but he would be blind if he didn't see it. He beat her to the punch as he wiped away the tear and the newly fresh ones ready to drop. He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"We were suppose start high school together, go to the same college and get apartments in the same building. I'm ruining everything. We're never going to see each other again," I whispered as I could feel my eyes burning.

"Hey hey, look at me," Trunks said as he hunched over to have his face was at the same level as her. He grabbed her jaw and gently moved her face to look at him. "You're coming back for holidays and summer breaks. So don't worry we're going to see each other again." He smiled as he tried to convince himself not to be too upset of the situation himself.

"You're right," she gushed as she wiped the remaining tears. "I think I'm just being overly sensitive."

"That's why your only a quarter of a saiyian." He spat out and ran for it before she actually comprehended the whole remark.

"You jerk!!!!!" She screamed shaking her fist. She ran after him as he headed towards her room.

"Pan, seriously, how much stuff do you have?" Trunks asked as he sighed looking at all the piled boxes they just finished packing.

"Enough to survive." She commented as she taped the last of the boxes. He stared at the back of her head as he remember he use to always sit behind her in class. He'll miss throw paper balls and spit balls in her hair. Her pony flapped with every moment she made. Almost as if on cue, she turned around and looked at him.

"What? You didn't put a 'Kick me' sign on me again, did you?" She asked aggravated as she started searching her back.

"Nope, not this time." She stuck out her tongue as she flopped belly first down on her bed. She grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it.

"I'm sleepy," she said quietly as her eyes closed shut.

"Yea, I should get going anyways." Trunks replied as he started walking over to the window to exit.

"Why? I can manage to stay awake a bit longer," Pan said as she jumped out of her bed and ran in front of him.

"Nah, you're tired."

"I don't want today to end, because it's a day closer to leaving." Trunks laughed and ran his hand through his lavender hair.

"Well, then I'll tell you what. Meet me tomorrow night after the party. You know where." Her eyes lighted up as he proposed the idea.

"Ok." She put her hands behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

"Go to sleep." He smirked at her childish antics. He punched her lightly on the shoulder and exited through the window and climbed down the tree.

She sighed as she walked back into her room. There was too many memories scattered everywhere. She walked over to her desk, only to see the shiny silver  
frame that caught her eye. A small started to spread through out her lips.

"_Hey Pan, wait up!" Pan slowly turned around at the mention of her name. She smiled at looked down at the floor shyly, as she saw who was approaching her. Ken shin Tomoko, one of the best looking guys in the eighth grade. They had talked once or twice last year in English class. _

_He finally made his way up to her and smiled. The one that made any girl tremble and stutter at his presence. Pan just smiled politely. 'Play it cool' she told herself over and over again. She turned and open her locker to grab her next book for class. _

_He leaned shoulder up against the lockers next to hers. "Hey Pan, what's up?"_

"_Nothing much." She said shyly, avoiding any eye contact._

"_Well, I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go to the Valentine's Day dance with me?" He smirked as his eyes pleaded for the right response. How could she turn him down? She be crazy if she did._

"_I love to." _

"_Great, so is it cool if I'll pick you up around 5 on Friday?"_

"_Yea, that's fine," she barely choked out. He smiled as he started walking away. She watched him for a few seconds and could barely hold in the shriek. A bunch of her friends crowded around her as they all smiled in awe._

"_Hey, so crazy rumor is going around," Trunks said as he turned to look over at Pan. She walked for a bit before responding. The comfortable, crisp October air was consuming her in her daydreams._

"_Yea, and what's that?" She asked quietly as she glanced up at him._

"_Ken Shin asked you out?" The wind made its way around them, making the autumn leaves swirl on the side walk. _

"_Seems more like a question than it does a rumor," she assembled while all the while laughing._

"_When did this happen and how come you didn't tell me?" he asked in a bit more serious tone. Then again he was always serious. _

"_I don't know it just happen so quickly. I know we were suppose to go to the movies together, but is it alright if I take a rain check?" She smiled at him apologetically. He nodded._

_She looked in the mirror. She sighed as she felt so nervous. It was finally here. The day she had been waiting for all week. She was so eager to make a good impression that she even went shopping with her mom. She went to so many shops humanly possible and was not satisfied till she found the perfect dress. And of course she did. It was a simple baby doll dress. The sleeves were a bit puffy and tightened just right at the waist. It even fluttered out a bit at the end and landed a little bit passed her knees. It was red for the atmosphere of the holiday. _

_Her mom even curled her hair and put half of it up. Tied with the most perfect red ribbon that matched her dress all too well. She had the bit of make-up and a little lip gloss for the last touch. _

_A knock on the door startled her as she went to answer it. _

"_Honey, you look beautiful." Her mother exclaimed as she pushed a bit of her bangs out of her eyes. "He's a lucky guy."_

"_Mom." Pan whined a bit all the while smiling. _

"_Why don't you wait downstairs for your date. It's almost 5." Pan walked down the stairs to watch TV. She prayed it would calm her nerves. _

_She looked at her watch. '5:30. Where is he? I hope everything is alright..' Thought started crowded her head._

"_Pan-da Bear, what are you still doing here?" Her father walked in, with his usual newspaper. He pushed his glasses on top of his nose as he looked at her. _

_She looked out the window and sighed. "He's not coming." He stared at her for a few seconds._

"_How do you know that? Maybe he got lost."_

"_No…he's not coming." She quickly walked passed him and ran up the stairs. Gohan closed his eyes as he heard her slam the door. _

_Pan ran to her stereo and blasted the music high. A very slow, depressing melody filled the room. She fell backwards on her bed as she stared at the ceiling. She didn't even bother wiping the tears from her eyes. Never had she felt worse than right at that moment. She felt so heartbroken and pathetic. She sat up and ran to her bedroom window. 'I have to get out of here.' She slowly but surely managed her way down the tree and ran to the one place where she knew she would feel better. _

_She slowed her pace as she entered the sweet scent of Cherry Blossoms. It was a wonder world filled with the Cherry Blossom trees. She twirled around and stared at the few illuminating lights that caught the glare off the pond in the middle of the area. She sighed as she ran to the small bridge crossing over the pond. She looked bend over the bridge to look at her reflection in the water. This was definitely a place she treasured. One where she could think to herself or where things go tough, this was her sanctuary. _

_A small peddle skipped through the water, leaving her reflection in the pond a rippling. She looked over at who had caught her attention. Trunks stood at the opposite end of the pond, he was dressed nicely with a pair of dark slacks and a stripped white and blue colored polo shirt. Why was he dressed was all Pan could question. She turned her gaze back to the pond, pretending he was an illusion. She could hear him walk slowly to her side. He followed her approach and leaned over to look in the pond._

"_Hey."_

"_Hi," she said barely audible._

"_I heard what happened…" he was cut off shortly._

"_I don't want your pity," she said not even looking at him once since he stood next to her. He straightened and turned his whole body towards her. _

"_Good, because I wasn't hear to give you any." This caught her attention like he knew it would. She looked over at him with an arched eyebrow. She was in no mood for smart asses right now. He took out a small, see through container out of his baggy slacks. _

"_I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go to the dance with me." She straightened and turned towards him. She looked down at the container and noticed the red rose attached to the wrist band. She met his gaze and saw he was sincere._

"_I thought you hated dances." _

"_I do," he paused, "but you really wanted to go and I'll survive one night. Just don't get use to it," he commented all the while smiling. She laughed and nodded._

_He placed the wrist band on her left arm. _

"_Thank you, this means a lot to me." She gave a small smile while staring at her left arm. _

"_He's an idiot," Trunks looked directly in her eyes to show that he was sincere, "you look really nice tonight." Pan blushed a cherry red and stared a bit surprised at him._

"_You don't think its too girly for me?"_

"_No, you look like Pan. Just a bit cleaner than usual." She gave him the dirtiest look she could muster. He had to ruin a perfectly good moment. He chuckled as he took her hand. _

"_Come on, we're already late." She let herself be dragged by him._

She smiled as she put the picture back down on the desk. Trunks had his usual smirk and had one hand holding hers, while the other was around her waist. She was smiling brightly with her cheeks a bit pink from all the happiness. It was so perfect. She walked over to switch off the lights and plopped down on her bed. Life as she knew was going to change. She stared across the room, through the window. The stars were shining beautifully tonight.

Trunks walked through the chilly air with his hands buried in his pockets. He stopped and looked at the sky. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He kept walking until he reached the park. He sat at the nearest bench and laid his forearms across his knees. He looked up and stared at the playground.

_He was five years old and his family had just moved to Japan from the U.S. His father wanted desperately to live in his home land. His mother was afraid because Bra and him were half breeds, but mostly because she was Caucasian. She was intimated by the new atmosphere, but she loved her husband. Sacrifices were made. She could still fulfill her dream of owning her own company so that was how everything worked out. _

_He remembered the first month was horrible because they were struggling with money, but his dad was too proud to let that get him down. He worked long hours at restaurants and his mother started out at lower positions at electronic companies. They worked hard and it was defiantly a battle, but they managed to survive raising the family. They also became very accustomed to the Country altogether. _

_He couldn't forget his first time going to the park. His mother had brought him there to socialize with the other children in the neighborhood. He would refuse interaction with anyone and everyone. _

"_Just like your father," she would always say and a tired smiled filled her face. "Now go on," she said as she pushed him towards the playground, "I'll be watching you from the benches." She waved and started heading to the benches. He walked slowly and insecurely walked over to the swings and sat down. He watched all the kids playing with their friends and he knew it was going to be hard fitting in._

"_HI!" He looked up to find a girl standing in front of him. She had her black hair in pigtails and was wearing overalls with Winnie the Pooh imprinted on her front pocket. She had the biggest smile across her baby fat cheeks. _

"_Hi," he responded. _

"_What's your name?" She asked moving side to side with a big smile on her face. _

"_Trunks."_

"_Hi Trunks!!!" She waved excitedly. "I'm Pan," she pointed to herself with her pudgy thumb._

"_Do you want one?" She asked holding up her carton of animal crackers. He shook his head no._

"_Are you sure? The bears are my favorite," she searched frantically through her box and took out a cracker shaped as a bear. She smiled and handed it to him. He stared at it for a moment and reluctantly took it. She then took out another bear shaped cracker and stuffed it in her mouth. He chewed on his cracker slowly, too shy to look at her. He suddenly felt her grab his hand and pulled him up from the swing._

"_Be my friend, ok?" Before he could respond she turned around and lead him to the slides._

Trunks smiled. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He would make fun of her every now and then of how chubby of a kid she was. Her and her damn animal crackers. Everyday in grade school she would have it as a snack. She even presented it as a show and tell object in the first grade. He stared at the swings. His intentions of finding a friend was met and he would never admit it to her, but he cared deeply for her. Best friends for nine years. After all these years he never once regretted as a waste.

He rolled up his sleeves and looked down at the plain sand color and black beaded bracelet. He almost forgot he had them on.

_Trunks walked out of the crowded lunch line and headed for an empty table. He plopped down and scooted his seat closer to the table. _

"_TRUNKS!!!!!" Pan yelled from across the cafeteria. Trunks almost spit out his milk, surprised at the sudden loudness. He looked over at her as she jogged her way to him. She had the usual grin, but today it seemed like she was glowing with happiness. She carried her books and binders with both arms and as usual was not paying attention to her surroundings. She almost tripped over her own feet on the process of walking. He rolled his eyes and tried to hold in the laughter. _

_She sat across from him at the table. She stared at him for a minute. "Guess what? And no not chicken butt, you smart ass." Trunks took the extra sandwich and drink he brought off the tray and handed it to her._

"_I don't know, what?" Trunks asked as he bit into his sandwich. He then put the fries in the middle of the table to share. She grabbed one and started munching on it._

"_Come on, guess," she protested as she finished her fry and gave him the puppy dog look._

"_No."_

"_Come on."_

"_Just tell me what it is."_

"_Guess."_

"_No," he avoided looking at her because he knew she was giving him that look again._

"_Awww your no fun today. Its like you got more than one stick up your ass today." She searched through her pockets and took out a small white box. _

"_Today is the exact day we have been best friends for eight years!!! Can you believe??!!!" She smiled widely and handed him the box. He took it and looked back at her. He didn't know she kept track of that kind of thing. _

"_Open it, you dork!!" He reluctantly unwrapped the red ribbon and opened the lid. Inside was a black and tan colored stone bracelet. He stared at it for a moment and looked back up at her with an arched eyebrow. _

"_I know you don't wear bracelets, but I saw it at the store and it totally reminded me of you. If you don't like it, the receipts on the back of the lid. _

"_But, I didn't get you anything."_

"_Sure you did, you got me lunch," she smiled as she opened the plastic wrap off of the sandwich._

"_Thanks." He put the bracelet on his wrist and smiled at her._

"_Oh my, did Trunks Briefs just smile??!!" She joked. He lightly punched her playfully on the shoulder as she giggled._

He sat there as the cold wind blew through his hair. He ran his hands through the beads and the same question came popping in his head. What was he going to do with out her? He could still see her smile repetitively inside his mind and her laughter ring in his ears. She was always so happy. He guessed that's what made him happy too. His mother use to always call them the Ying and the Yang. Two opposites, but that was what made them bond so tightly as friends.

Pan looked in the mirror and stared at her reflection. She had on her light pink dress with fuchsia flowers imprinted all over. It was sleeveless, but she had on a black cardigan for the chilly weather tonight. She sighed and sat on her bed. She didn't want tonight to end. Tomorrow was the big day. She would be leaving. A knock on the door broke the moment of thought as she turned to see her mother standing at the doorway.

"Panny, you look beautiful," she exclaimed as she stood in front of her. "But your missing something," she walked over to Pan's jewelry box and took out a small pink bobby pin. She walked over and pushed some of Pan's bangs out of her eyes and to the side.

"There. Perfect." Pan didn't answer. She just sat there and stared at the wall across the room. Her mother sighed as she took a seat next to her.

"He loves you and sometimes its hard for him to express it. Please understand that he is not trying to send you away for any other reason, but your education. It's hard for him to send his baby girl to the other side of the world. He is really proud of you though, because he thinks your intelligence takes after him." She laughed and Pan couldn't help but crack a smile. "I love you," she kissed Pan on the forehead and hugged her tightly.

"Pan-da bear. You almost ready to go?" Her father asked walking into the room. Pan didn't say anything, she stood up and wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

"I love you too." She whispered into his ear. He gently put his arms around her waist and smiled.

"Save a dance for you old man tonight?" He felt her nod against his shoulder. A tear slowly escaped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Wow mom, dad, its perfect." Pan exclaimed as she walked into the ballroom. It was beautifully decorated with balloons and streamers. The lights were dimmed for over head color lights to flash aimlessly in the room. Gohan put a hand on her shoulder.

"Go, have fun," he said all the while giving her a little push.

"Thank you so much as she hugged both her parents. She then turned around and saw Trunks leaned against the wall across the room. She caught his eye and waved frantically at him. He nodded at her and stood up straight when he saw her approaching.

"Thanks for coming, Trunks." He just nodded. He avoided eye contact with her. She moved closer to him, "do you want to get out of here," she whispered.

Trunks moved his eyes towards her. "What? Pan, you can't leave your own party."

"I know. Its just that I feel suffocated here. I want to get some fresh air. We'll be back in time before anyone knows we're gone. So what do you say?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye. He shook his head with a smile making a way to his lips.

"Come on." He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made his way towards the door. She smiled and followed him as they exited through the back.

Pan stopped and breath in the fading Spring air. She closed her eyes, trying to memorize every moment. Trunks looked over at her and moved towards her. He removed his hand from his pocket and pinched her nose. Her eyes popped open and her mouth opened for air.

"Trunks!!!" She exclaimed waving her arms as she pushed him away. He laughed and shrugged his shoulder as he put his hand back into his baggy khakis. She stuck her tongue at him as she started walking again. They both walked in silence through out the dark night, but the moon illuminated the darkness.

He looked over again, "you look nice," he said barely audible. She looked at him with a curious look on her face. She smiled.

"Your looking extra hot yourself, Trunks Briefs. I saw Saki Homoshuri looking over at you from the punch table," Pan laughed. She knew that Trunks was really popular with the girls. He was just too shy and quiet. A lot of girls hated Pan for having such a close relationships with Trunks, but she didn't care. She was grateful to have Trunks in her life. She looked over at him and laughed as she saw he was turning bright red.

Pan looked straight ahead and saw the Cherry Blossoms. "Race ya to the bridge," she said all the while running before he would comprehend the challenge.

"Cheater." he called after her.

They both panted and was out of breath when they arrived at the bridge. Pan twirled around as the blossom leaves were shedding. She made her way towards the grassy fields in the middle of the crowds of trees. Trunks watched her and followed. She sat on the grass and laid down starring at the sky. He looked down at her with an arched eyebrow. He laid across from her so their heads were near each other, but their bodies on the opposite sides. They laid in silence as they were both consumed in their own thoughts.

"So what are you thinking about?" Trunks asked.

"The stars."

"What about them?"

"Just that…no matter where you are in the world, you can still look up at the night and still the same amount of stairs. Although, it may not look like they have shifted in different positions, they have. But, it doesn't matter, their still beautiful."

Pan continued after a few minutes, "well to me the cherry blossoms still compliments the starts at night and the sun just shines through them at day. Japan will always have that gift. No where else." Trunks never thought about that before. Silence seemed to keeping them both company tonight.

"What are you thinking about?" Pan asked curiously.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with out you."

"You better not find another best friend. That's what your not going to do." She joked.

"Nah, I don't think I can find someone as clumsy and scattered minded as you are. That is nearly impossible," he laughed.

"Haha very funny." She nudged him. He rolled on his elbow and stood up. He offered his hand and pulled her up. He pulled out of his pocket a velvet blue case.

"I know its not much, but they wouldn't give me more hours at the restaurant." She stared at the box and slowly took it into her hands. She smiled and shook the box. After a few shakes, she opened the box to find a beautiful silver necklace. It had a small pink stone shaped like a cherry blossom. She was speechless.

"Trunks. It's way too much. You should return it and spend the money on your self." She looked up at him and he shook his head. He too the necklace out of the box for her and walked behind her to put it on. It laid on the midway of her chest.

"This way you can always remember the Cherry Blossoms in Japan." She turned around hugged him, letting out the softest cries.

"Thank you so much. I love it." He held her as she cried.

Trunks open his eyes to only be greeted by the darkness in his room. He looked over at his alarm clock. The red light flashed 4:30. He sighed as he got up and headed towards the bathroom. He then got dressed and headed out the window.

Pan zippered her sweater half way. She grabbed back pack and swung it over her shoulder. She looked around her room one last time and walked out the door. She headed down the stairs and saw Trunks waiting in the living room.

"Trunks? Aww, you came to say good-bye." She said as she put down her stuff and walked up to him.

"No, only to say see you later." He hugged her tightly and bent down to whisper in her ear, "take care of yourself." She held in her cry and smiled. "Only if you promise you will."

"I'll be back in time of the Cherry Blossoms."

Please Review


End file.
